I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for use in snow removal and management, and more particularly to a snow pusher which allows increased accumulation of snow in front of a snow plow during operation while inhibiting lateral spillage of snow from the ends of the plow.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the past, the standard implement used on work vehicles in the snow removal industry has been a straight blade, angle-type plow. This type of implement is extremely useful in clearing surfaces by primarily displacing snow laterally a short distance to one side of the blade. However, in certain situations it is advantageous to move larger amounts of snow a greater distance and to move it forward rather than sideways. This is especially true when areas designated for snow storage are not directly adjacent to the areas being plowed. Plowing a road or other surface that is contiguous to intersecting private driveways is an example of this type of situation. Once the snow on a road or other surface has been angle-plowed to a location close to the intersecting driveways, it is desirable to capture, contain, and relocate the plowed snow rather than to leave a windrow of snow at the entrance to each intersecting driveway.
To accomplish this type of task persons previously have used devices which primarily push snow forward. These devices are generally vehicles with containment members having forward facing openings which are mounted to the front of work vehicles. Existing snow pusher devices typically make use of some type of forwardly projecting panels on their sides to help prevent spillage of snow from either end of the plow and thereby to allow a greater amount of snow to be contained and transported to a desired location. Specifically, some previous attempts at capturing and containing plowed snow include pusher box designs, immobile or slightly mobile sides attached to a straight blade plow, and powered V shaped plows.
Pusher boxes are forward facing attachments which are joined to the front of work vehicles. While these boxes do provide an enhanced ability to relocate large amounts of snow, there are many drawbacks. First, these pusher boxes have the disadvantage of being stationary and non-angling. Therefore, the pusher box can only relocate snow forward in the direction of the vehicle's travel and cannot “plow” snow laterally across a surface. Second, this type of device is not designed to be convertible between plowing and pushing operations. For most snow removal jobs, in order to effectively remove snow from a given area a pusher box device could not be used exclusively. Therefore, a pusher box device would need to be used in close connection with a work vehicle equipped with some type of plow blade. Because these pusher boxes are not adapted to convert between plowing and pushing devices, multiple vehicles would be required to complete snow removal from a given site.
Other devices used in the past utilize immobile or slightly mobile sides attached to a straight blade plow. These devices generally have metal plates that bolt or attach to the side of a plow blade. One example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,936 to Steinhoff. These devices have the disadvantage of requiring the operator of the plow to exit the vehicle in order to bolt on or to position the sides when switching from plowing mode to pushing mode and visa versa. This deficiency results in a waste of time and fatigue to the operator.
V shaped plows such as the power V plow are yet another type of device that can be used to aid in containing snow during plowing. These devices are capable of positioning a split plow blade so that it angles into a V shape to contain a greater amount of snow during use. This type of device is very expensive to purchase and to maintain. These devices are also known to have inherent structural problems which cause a high break down frequency and a short useful life. Further, a power V plow does not clean the plowed surface as thoroughly as a straight blade angle-plow. Moreover, when the power V plow is maneuvered into its containment position with the open part of the V facing forward, the effective width of the plow is narrowed, thus greatly reducing the amount of snow being relocated.
Therefore, a new snow management device is needed for quickly and efficiently containing and relocating large quantities of snow that also allows for the same vehicle to quickly transform between a pusher box vehicle and an angle blade vehicle without requiring the operator to leave the driver's compartment. Moreover, a device is needed that is effective, allows for efficient transport of large amounts of snow, is easy to use, is structurally sound, simple, and which overcomes the problems experienced in past methods and devices aimed at snow removal. The present invention meets these needs.